Climbers lose grip on beloved Grampians rockfaces

Epicentre of rock climbing to be gutted under draft Grampians National Park plan.

Tom Perkins climbs Castle Crag in Victoria’s Grampians National Park, which will be subject to bans in many areas under a draft management plan. Picture: Jason Edwards

The epicentre of Australian rock climbing would be gutted under a draft Grampians National Park landscape management plan that also flags the reintroduction of dingoes to sheep-dominated western Victoria.

Parks Victoria announced on Wednesday 66 climbing areas covering up to 2300 of the best routes in the park would be closed permanently and climbers would face a new permit system if they wanted to use the park at all.

A further 126 climbing areas are being examined by Parks Victoria to determine whether the sport could face further limitations after a series of cultural heritage assessments conducted in western Victoria.

While climbing may be allowed in 86 other areas of the park, the sector fears the draft management plan will discourage climbers from visiting and end the Grampians’ status as a globally significant destination.

Under the draft plan, the government will make protecting cultural heritage an overwhelming priority after more than 100 years of failing to protect rock art, quarries and other sites. Climbers have savaged the draft management plan, accusing Parks Victoria of failing to consult or apologise for past false claims made against the community.

Renowned climbing photographer Simon Carter said: “There is no net benefit for climbers in this plan. It is absolutely devastating for the climbing community.”

The new management plan has at its centre measures to elevate the role of traditional owners and attempts to protect cultural heritage. Parks Victoria has doubled down on its attacks on climbers, releasing an archaeological field survey to allege a large number of bad practices.

Some of the allegations were immediately lampooned by climbers, including a back-of-the-envelope estimate of the number of climbing bolts in the Grampians, which were put at an unverifiable 10,000 to 15,000.

Climbers said one of the routes where they were accused of penning graffiti was on an old tourist track, where graffiti by the public was the most likely cause.

Parks Victoria said that, of the 125 climbing areas inspected during the project, 26 had cultural heritage values. It said that in 10 of the 42 Aboriginal places that had been “rediscovered”, there had been “one or more forms of harm”, which could attract penalties.

“There is no comprehensive and verified dataset of bolts in climbing routes and no known instances where bolts have been installed or managed officially by Parks Victoria,” the archaeology report states.

“However, assuming between five and seven bolts per climbing route in (the park) and accounting for variation in climbing styles, it is estimated that there is possibly at least 10,000 to 15,000 bolts in catalogued climbs.”

The draft management plan will be open to consultation and covers the entire park.

The plan raises the spectre of reintroducing dingoes and quolls to help return it to its previous state. The dingo proposal will be met with stiff resistance from graziers, who surround the park.

Parks Victoria chief executive Matthew Jackson said parks were primarily for preservation of nature and culture.

“This draft plan aims to meet the many complex challenges facing this unique landscape so that it is healthy and resilient for future generations,” Mr Jackson said.

“While these parks and reserves exist primarily to conserve natural and cultural values, as required by legislation, they play an important role in connecting people with nature. This draft plan outlines how sustainable recreation and visitation will continue, while ensuring this special landscape is protected.”